At Midnight

11:56 p.m.

...the good things in life are better with you...

Jason's mad rush to help people pay for their tickets slowed when there was around ten minutes left until the movie premiere started.

Bored, he shuffled into the theater to check out what was happening. When Jason exited, he made a direct beeline to the concession counter.

"It's crowding bad in there, you two should probably get going," he said.

"We can't yet," I said, pointing at the door.

A group of ten or fifteen teenagers were running through the door.

"Damn teenagers. It's a school night.. What parent allows this?" Mara muttered in disbelief.

"Me if I was a parent," I said. With another second, I added, "But I'd go with them."

Jason tried to step away, to give the children tickets, but Mara grabbed his shirt before he could go too far.

Faces lined up, she ordered, "Jason, you sneak your ass in there, lay on two seats--"

"And don't fucking move," I said.

"You owe me big time," Jason muttered.

He ran into the theater without another word.

Mara jumped over the counter and to the ticket booth. She threw the children tickets with lightning speed, then cussed at them until they started to move their asses to me.

Basically, it was a good thing we were quitting that night.

"Hurry up and order," I muttered to the indecisive children. "Or else you're getting nothing. Nada."

One by one, the children told me their orders. Fifteen orders took me five whole minutes of straight work to complete. There were a few times I didn't get the order correct, but I ignored the whining kids and passed them something at least.

Internally, I felt horrible, but the cutest girl I personally knew was counting on me. Nothing else mattered.

"Jannick!" Cameron yelled. "Where's Carrow?"

"Right here, sir!" Mara shouted from the booth. "Just covering for Jason while he goes to the bathroom."

Cameron gave an eye roll. "Whatever. Be good," and following that, he went into the break room.

Mara ungracefully hopped the ticket booth and ran at me, repeatedly whispering, "Fucking go, Cliff, come on!"

Undressing together, we left our aprons, hats, name tags discarded on the floor.

I took my drink, Mara ensured she had candy in her bra, then she unexpectedly took my hand and started running into the theater.

Previews already sarted, Jason raised his hand from the top row, directly in the center.

"Get the hell out of here when this is over. I'll try to distract Cameron," Jason whispered.

Sitting, Mara patted his cheek. "You're a good soul, kid."

"Enjoy your movie," Jason muttered sarcastically before he ran out of the theater.

As the red credits scene started, Mara passed me a folded piece of paper.

I unfolded it quickly, eager to see what she had been hiding from my eyes.

She had drawn a pencil drawing of Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter dancing together. On the bottom it read: maybe one day we'll be that cute. xoxo -m.c.

Taking my shocked, "oh," the wrong way, Mara stopped leaning close to me. She was wide eyed. "Sorry, I just, uh, thought you had a thing for me, too."

"Too?" I whispered. "Too? Did you just say, 'too'?"

"Was sacrificing my job to see a movie with you not enough sign to show you I liked you?" she whispered back.

I missed the opening credits scene to stare at the girl in front of me, my mouth opened. "I am over the moon right now, but the movie is about to start, we're going to talk later. In the meantime, get ready to watch your first ever Marvel movie, on opening night."

Mara nodded. Her hand found mine, her head leaned on my shoulder.

And in all the Marvel movies I'd ever seen, that will forever be my favorite one.